The Muggleborn Vampire: A Dramione Story

Chapter 19: The Fate of Mates Part 2

Hermione layed on her stomach on the livingroom couch, working on her potions essay, when Severus entered the room after his last class for the day. Greeting her, he passed into the kitchen to grab them 2 glasses of dinner while she sat up and returned her homework to her bedroom.

"What are your conclusions from your class this morning?" Severus asked her once they settled beside each other on the couch. "You refrained from attacking anybody."

Hermione laughed. "That's true. I felt pretty good once I got used to the amount of humans in the classroom. Plus, the smell of the potion ingredients helped."

"Good." The edges of Snape's lips lifted in a thin smile before disappearing behind his normal mask.

"But Severus, can I ask you a question?"

"No doubt you'll ask anyways."

She rolled her eyes. "What would cause somebody's blood to smell different than normal blood?"

Severus paused and thought for a moment. "Most human blood smells the same, except for the subtle differences between blood types."

Hermione persed her lips in confusion. "Well, that's odd. I smelled blood from someone in class, but it wasn't normal blood. It smelled...better then anything I've ever smelled in my life. And it caused my vampire...distress."

"Distress?" Severus cocked an eyebrow.

"Erm..yeah." Hermione felt her cheeks heat up as she started to regret talking about this with her father. "She...liked it. A lot."

Severus's eyes narrowed in concentration, like he was trying to figure out a complicated math equation. "Did she desire to prey upon it?"

"Well...kind of?" His daughter suddenly found a spot on the carpet rather fascinating. "I wanted to embrace it, to comfort it. I felt like it was the only thing that mattered, you know? Like, it is the reason why I exist."

"Oh, I see." Realization flooded Severus's face, but a different emotion flashed briefly in his eyes. Hurt, jealousy?

"What is it, Severus?" Hermione asked in a gentle voice. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing at all." He shook his head before looking back at her with a slight smile on his face. All trace of sadness was gone. "Congratulations dear, I think you just located your mate."

Hermione would have been floored simply by hearing his use of endearment, if it had not been for the shocking news that followed. "Really?! You think so?"

"Indeed. That's what the tomes say about the discovery of your mate. They will have an intoxicating smell, you'll have the overwhelming need to protect and be with that indivudual, that you'll have the urge to mark them as your own."

"But, if I mark them, won't I start the process of making them immortal? I'll have to bite them every day or they'll die?"

"Indeed." Severus looked at her intently. "Which is why you must stay vigilant and aware of your actions around that individual. Unless that is a decision you both make, you'll need to practice control over your vampire."

Hermione nodded, fiddling with her gloves, her now go-to nervous tick. She wanted to be with her mate forever, but what if that's not what they desired? Could she resist her instincts in order to respect her mate's wishes? Her brain told her yes, but her heart wasn't so sure. And her vampire? Well, she was just wondering when she could smell that delicious scent again.

After a moment of silence, Severus spoke. "Do you know who it is? Your mate?"

Her mind immediately went back to that earlier moment when she watched Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle enter the classroom, taking most of the smell with them as they passed. "I have an idea, but I'm not entirely sure. They were traveling in a group, so it could be any one of them. But it's definitely a Slytherin."